The bill, S.B. No. 818, proposes the establishment of the Health Impact, Cost, and Coverage Analysis Program under a new Subchapter J in Chapter 38 of the Insurance Code. This program, managed by the Center for Health Care Data at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, will conduct analyses of legislative documents that impose new mandates on health benefit plan issuers or administrators. The program aims to assess the potential impacts of such legislation on health coverage costs, administrative expenses, and the overall health care service utilization in Texas.

Additionally, the bill authorizes the comptroller to assess an annual fee on health benefit plan issuers, excluding those operating solely as Medicaid managed care organizations, to fund the program. The fee will be determined based on the necessary implementation costs and adjusted for any deficits from the previous year. The program is required to deliver reports on its findings within specified timeframes and will also include provisions for data collection on administrative expenses related to the analyzed legislation. The bill mandates that the program be operational by January 1, 2026, and outlines the necessary steps for its implementation.

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